


Lessons in Love

by APC1989



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 05:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14948507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/APC1989/pseuds/APC1989
Summary: When Nebula discovers she has feelings for Mantis she has to learn how to navigate her emotions.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I realized that many of the 'ships' I was planning were your basic heteronormative relationships so (since I do believe representation is important) I decided to try to work on branching out and working on some works with LGBT relationships featured prominently. While I still want to add more to this I'm marking it as finished until I think of something. Happy Pride Month to all:-)

When Nebula stormed into Gamora’s quarters that morning, it was not necessarily unexpected. In the few weeks since Gamora had talked Nebula into staying with the guardians these occurrences had become common. Normally they resulted from some argument with one of the other members of the team so when Nebula burst into the room that morning all Gamora asked was, “Rocket, Groot, Drax or Peter?”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“You are obviously upset…who is it this time? Rocket, Groot, Drax or Peter.”  
“It is none of them although they continue to be infuriating. My problem is actually with Mantis. Being around her makes me sick.”  
“Nebula!” Gamora sat up on her bed, “I know Mantis is…overly affectionate but all you have to do is ask her not to touch you.”  
“What I mean to say is being around her…well my symptoms are as follows. My heart beats faster. My stomach is in knots. I feel as if my entire body could fly apart and yet I would not feel pain.” She gazed at her sister; her expression serious. “Tell me in your travels of the galaxy, have you heard of this illness?” Gamora burst out laughing which she instantly tried to quell due to her sister’s offended look.  
“It’s not an illness Nebula! It’s…well, my guess is it’s…love.” She smiled gently at Nebula who merely looked at her confused.  
“But Gamora…that can’t be it, I’ve realized that I…” it took her a moment to say the word and when she did she looked as though she might vomit, “love you, my sister, but I do not feel anything close to what I have been feeling towards Mantis around you.”  
“Well…it’s a different kind of love,” Gamora tried to search for a way to explain, “there is the love that you have for family like we have for each other, there’s also a love between friends that we have with Rocket, Drax, Groot…”  
“I’m not sure I love them,” Nebula said a hint of disgust in her voice.  
“Some days I’m not totally sure either,” muttered Gamora though she quickly turned the conversation back to the situation at hand. “However, there is another type of love that you might have for one special individual…where you want to connect with them more deeply…do you understand what I mean?” Nebula’s eyes widened.  
“You mean sexual love! Mating!”  
“Yes…well that’s part of it…”  
“So that is it! I want to mate with Mantis!” She suddenly looked concerned. “Is it even possible for us to mate? We are two different species and I don’t know it would even be possible for us to reproduce…”  
“Well, you might not be able to reproduce but there are other benefits of…”  
“Sex.”  
“Yes, and strictly speaking I…well inter species sex isn’t necessarily an issue…” Nebula’s eyes lit up with triumph.  
“YOU HAVE HAD SEX WITH PETER QUILL!!!”  
“No! Would you keep your voice down?” Gamora turned a deeper shade of green.  
“You can testify in regards to interspecies sex because you have achieved it!”  
“Well…I…” Gamora closed her eyes and sighed with frustration, “I am NOT saying I had sex with Peter but I’ve traveled the galaxy and met many different types of beings and…yes interspecies relationships are completely possible.”  
”And one of those beings you met was Peter Quill, who you had sex with.”  
“Look let’s just move on from that…”  
“You are not denying it then?”  
“No I am denying it…”  
“I know you are lying but I have more important concerns then whether or not you did or didn’t sleep with Peter Quill which I know you did.” Gamora scoffed but Nebula was too absorbed in her thoughts in regards to Mantis. “Even if it is the case, a lack of reproduction will not be a problem. I do not like small children anyway; they are highly annoying. You must tell me though sister…” she looked at Gamora intently, “how do I acquire Mantis as my mate?”  
“Slow down Nebula,” said Gamora cautiously. “You need to understand…Mantis isn’t an object you can take or a land that you can conquer. She’s a being like you or me with her own thoughts, wishes, and desires.”  
“Well how do I get her to desire me?”  
“It’s complicated…” Gamora sighed, “Sometimes we feel something for someone but they may not feel the same way but then there’s other times where we find the person does feel something in return.”  
“Sister, you are frustrating me. I asked a simple question. What must I do to get Mantis to desire me? Is there a costume I must wear? Do I give her gifts?”  
“Well gifts are nice…but ultimately when it comes to love it’s not about gifts or dressing up. You really need to be…well, yourself. That’s the only way to know if someone really loves you for who you are.” Nebula looked appalled.  
“That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” Gamora decided to try a different tactic.  
“Look, the best way to figure out if Mantis feels the same way might be just to ask her…” Nebula shook her head.  
“I cannot do that. I do not know why. I have slaughtered many in battle and yet the thought of asking Mantis such a question makes me feel as though I am facing death itself.” Gamora tried not to roll her eyes at her sister’s dramatics.  
“Well, what if you asked her to go with you somewhere…just you and her. You could get something to eat, talk about things…”  
“Yes, I shall tell her of my triumphs in battle to impress her.”  
“Well…those are ok but ultimately what really is best when you are trying to develop a relationship with someone is to talk about them; in your case ask Mantis about her interests and you can bring your own history into it but well…” Gamora tried to find the proper metaphor, “a good conversation should be like…” she suddenly thought of the perfect term, “a dance.”  
“A dance like you have achieved with Peter Quill.”  
“That has nothing to do with this.”  
“Yes it does, I am considering an interspecies relationship. You are in an interspecies relationship.”  
“Let’s just drop it...ummm…ok, pretend I am Mantis.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Just to practice…say to me what you would say to Mantis.” Nebula straightened up in her seat and looked very seriously at Gamora.  
“Mantis, I was wondering if you would like to go somewhere alone with me. I assure you this is not an assassination attempt.”  
“Ok, that was good…maybe leave out the part about assassination though…”  
“Alright,” she paused for a moment, “Mantis I was wondering if you would like to go somewhere alone with me.” Gamora smiled gently.  
“Why Nebula I would love to.”  
“Excellent…can we skip ahead to the meeting…?”  
“Of course.” Nebula took a deep breath before she continued.  
“Mantis, I have invited you here today to ask you to be my mate.”  
“Whoa…Nebula, maybe you want to start off more…less…formal. Perhaps you should ask her what her favorite food is or what she likes to do for fun first. Find out what you have in common before you try to propose anything long-term.  
“That is an excellent idea sister! Why did I not think of that?”  
“Something else that’s helpful…pay her compliments. For instance you could say something nice about her eyes, her outfit…”  
“I have the perfect one!” Nebula leaned forward, “Mantis, when I see you my loins are…”  
“NO! No…” Gamora put her hand to her forehead. “It would probably be better not to mention your loins for…a while. Just stick to things you would feel comfortable discussing in front of Groot.”  
“I do not care what I say in front of Groot. I’m not entirely sure he understands me anyway. I certainly don’t understand him.”  
“Well then stick to subjects that I would feel comfortable discussing in front of Groot. Nebula rolled her eyes but decided since she was inexperienced in this particular arena she decided she would take Gamora’s advice.  
“Alright so conversation, compliments, no mention of my loins, and find out what we have in common. Am I forgetting anything?”  
“I think that you’ve got it.”  
“Excellent, I will go and find Mantis now.” As she walked away Gamora shook her head.  
“What have I unleashed?”  
When Nebula walked out into the corridor she was met by the hulking figure of Drax. He looked at her sternly.  
“I overheard you and Gamora talking; I understand you want pursue a relationship with Mantis.”  
“That is correct.”  
“Well, I will have to warn you that if you harm her, in any way, I will have to kill you.” Nebula considered this proposal and nodded.  
“Your terms are acceptable though surely I will have the right to attempt to defend myself.”  
“Why of course. It is not a true victory if one is defeated easily.”  
“So it is agreed, if I ever do hurt Mantis, we shall fight to the death”  
“Agreed.” They stood together in silence for a moment.  
“Of course I will win.” Nebula walked away satisfied with the terms while Drax shook his head in disdain.  
“She would win…ridiculous.”


	2. Chapter 2

Nebula walked through the corridors of the Milano looking for Mantis. As she wandered through the ship she practiced what she would say.  
“Mantis, I thought we might go off ship…to do something. No you sound stupid! Mantis I would like to take you off strip…OFF SHIP!! UGH! I CAN’T DO THIS!” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “Nebula you are one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy who has slain many in battle. You can ask someone out on a date.” She opened her eyes and began again, “Mantis…”  
“Yes?!” Nebula spun around and found Mantis in front of her staring at her curiously with her deep black eyes.  
“How…?! Where did you come from?!”  
“From down the hall… Have I upset you?  
“No. Actually I am quite impressed. There are very few who can surprise me.”  
“Well you were muttering to yourself.”  
“Oh…right…just how much of that did you hear?”  
“I only heard you just now when you said my name.”  
“Excellent! That’s good…I actually had something I needed to ask you.”  
“Oh?” As Mantis gazed at her with a questioning innocence Nebula wondered if it was possible to simultaneously develop symptoms of a severe stomach flu and a heart attack. If so she was sure that she was experiencing both. Nebula you can do this. I was wondering if…when we make it to our next destination…wherever that is…if you would like to go somewhere with me?” Well congratulations Nebula you sounded like a blithering idiot!  
“Sure!”  
“What?!”  
“You asked me if I’d like to go somewhere off ship and I said sure… Should I have said something else?”  
“No, sure is great…perfect actually.”  
“Alright, so…when we arrive at a planet…”  
“We will go and…do something…”  
“Ok then!” Mantis paused, “I just…why…do you want to go somewhere with me?”  
“Well…” Nebula stammered, “I suppose I feel…I find you…” she scrambled for an appropriate word in her head, “interesting. That’s not really the best word…but I would like to get to know you better.” Mantis blushed.  
“I would like to get to know you too.”  
“Well great!” Nebula tried to keep her enthusiasm under control, “So I’ll let you know…”  
“Yeah, I’ll see you well…probably in the common area…”  
“Yes I look forward to seeing you again on this spaceship…that we both inhabit.” Mantis smiled and strode back down the hall while Nebula proceeded to the cockpit of the Milano in a manner that could be said to be almost jaunty. Peter and Rocket were co-piloting in their usual manner with music blaring and bickering. By this time Gamora had joined them and was rolling her eyes at their arguments. Nebula cleared her throat.  
“I have an announcement; I have asked Mantis to accompany me off ship and she has said yes. Therefore I will need to know our next destination as soon as possible so I may plan our activities.” Gamora smiled at her.  
“That’s great Nebula.”  
“Yay…good for you,” said Rocket completely unenthused.  
“Now Rocket, this is a big step for Nebula.”  
“She tried to kill us last week.”  
“Well…” Gamora was trying to be helpful but she couldn’t deny this point “that was last week.”  
“You know Gamora we should go on a date,” said Peter with a wink. Gamora rolled her eyes but the color rose in her cheeks. Suddenly the ship’s communicator started to ring.  
“Guess I can take this in the common area,” said Peter.  
“I can go with you,” said Gamora.  
“Wait!” Nebula pursued the two, “I need you Gamora! You need to help me get ready for this…I have no idea what to do on a ‘date’ I mean…I didn’t even know I was feeling love until earlier today…” She was interrupted by a panicked exclamation from Peter.  
“Shit! It’s Nova Prime!”  
“Who cares about Nova Prime?!” Gamora whirled on Nebula.  
“YOU SHOULD! Considering that Nova Prime is expecting us to deliver you to Xandar for your crimes against the planet! Now GET DOWN!” She shoved Nebula under the table right before Peter answered the call.  
“Why Nova Prime! What a…pleasant surprise to hear from you!” As Nebula was under the table she did not see the slightly raised eyebrow or questioning expression on Nova Prime’s face.  
“I don’t see how this is much of a surprise Mr. Quill. If anything I would say I should be surprised that you haven’t arrived at Xandar already with the prisoner. Not to mention that you have apparently started a feud with The Sovereign?!”  
“There was a…misunderstanding regarding the terms of payment,” said Gamora with as much diplomatic air as she could muster.  
“Yes, I understood as much from the Sovereign. What about the prisoner?”  
“Well…” said Peter, “We got sidetracked…see I finally met my dad and then he died.”  
“Oh… My sympathies, Mr. Quill.”  
“Oh no need, he was actually kind of a jerk; wanted to take over the universe, turns out he killed my mom…so we had to kill him. But then…my…I guess you could call him my foster dad, Yondu, he died too. So yeah, that’s why we haven’t been in contact…” Peter trailed off and Nova Prime shook her head slightly and rubbed her temple as if she had suddenly been overcome by a powerful headache.  
“Is the prisoner in your custody or not?”  
“Uhhh....” Peter eyed Gamora, “she…escaped; but we are on her trail. So we’ll just see you when we…”  
“I need you to come to Xandar now.”  
“Wait what?! Why?”  
“I’m arranging a meeting with representatives from all the major galactic empires. We need to discuss what can be done regarding the threat of Thanos. Hopefully we can put this argument with the Sovereign to rest too…”  
“Umm…I’m not sure that’s a good idea…they really hate us.”  
“You will be under the protection of the Nova Corps and I have made that clear to the Sovereign. Right now, defeating Thanos is the top priority.”  
“Great, so if we warp we should be able to get there today.”  
“Excellent, we’ll meet you at Nova Corps Headquarters when you arrive.” Nova Prime signed off before Peter or Gamora for that matter could make any further protest.  
“Well, we’re screwed,” said Peter. Nebula scoffed as she crawled out from under the table.  
“At least you weren’t forced under a table like some…”  
“What?! Fugitive from Xandar?”  
“Which brings me to the point you are taking me to the den of my enemies!” She pursued Peter as he made his way to the ship’s cockpit. “How am I supposed to go on a date with Mantis now?” A sly grin crossed Peter’s face.  
“I think I have an idea.”

An hour later Peter and Gamora were standing outside the door of Nebula’s quarters.  
“Come on Nebula, I’m sure you look fine!”  
“I look ridiculous!”  
“Well unfortunately given that you need to be in disguise we don’t have a lot of options here.”  
“Please tell me I haven’t missed the show. I’ve got to see this!” Rocket Raccoon strolled up the corridor receiving looks of horror and dismay from Gamora and Peter.  
“Damn it Rocket! Who the hell is driving my ship?”  
“Relax, we’re on autopilot in orbit above Xandar and I have a warning set to go off if anything is headed our way…” At this point, the door finally opened and Nebula stepped out. She was now dressed in purple velvet pants with a leather jacket and t-shirt. Her head was now covered with a lustrous mane of hair.  
“I told you! I look ridiculous! And this wig is itchy…”  
“Technically, it’s not a wig,” said Gamora evenly. “They are actually nanobots that attach to the scalp…” Rocket cleared his throat.  
“Um…is it something she’s using to disguise herself?”  
“Yes…”  
“And she’s going to take it off later right?”  
“Most definitely!” Nebula scratched at her scalp.  
“It’s a wig.” Gamora sighed and looked at the package.  
“It says here the sensors can be adjusted to change the color…”  
“You should make it black; like her soul.” Everyone turned to see Drax standing in the shadows of the corridor.  
“Gamora, give me a gun!”  
“Nebula no!” While Gamora struggled to calm Nebula, Peter looked at Drax with bewilderment.  
“Drax! What the…? How long have you been there?”  
“Are you saying you didn’t see me?”  
“Yeah…no, I didn’t see you.”  
“That must mean I have the power of invisibility.”  
“No. Drax, you’re not invisible.”  
“But you did not see me which means I must have been invisible. This means I have the power of invisibility. I must find a way to master this power and control it…” As Drax became absorbed in thoughts of his new ‘power’ a frustrated Peter turned back to Nebula who was still complaining about the outfit.  
“Furthermore, this t-shirt is inaccurate! I am NOT Sweet!” She spat out the last word with particular venom.  
“It’s a band from my home planet and you should be damn proud to wear that shirt. Not only are they completely awesome, I had to pay fifty thousand units for that.” Gamora whirled on Peter eyes blazing.  
“Fifty THOUSAND!!! You told me that shirt was fifteen hundred!”  
“Hey, can’t a man who has earned a generous amount of money…doesn’t he have a right to spend some of that on something that gives him happiness?”  
“I get it Peter…I bought some explosives with part of my share,” said Rocket in a manner that he must have thought was helpful.  
“Well that’s excellent, if we are ever without food or fuel for the ship, I will be comforted to know that at least we have explosives and a fifty-thousand unit t-shirt!”  
“Oh come on Gamora! That was out of my personal funds!”  
“You know what? You’re right! It’s not about that! It’s about the fact you felt you had to lie to me!”  
“Yes because I knew if I told you we would be having an argument like we are right now and I wanted the shirt!”  
“Can you resolve this petty argument later when I am not about to go on a date on a hostile planet in a ridiculous outfit with itchy nanobots on my head!?” This statement seemed to draw Gamora’s attention.  
“Of course, I’m sorry Nebula though just a small note…if things do get serious between you and Mantis don’t lie to her about money!”  
“Well that’s a heck of a lot easier if you don’t nitpick over every unit I spend!”  
"Again. Me! Date! Hostile Planet! Itchy nanobots!”  
“Hey Peter, don’t some of those sound like great names for a rock band?”  
“Hostile Planet? That is kind of cool.”  
“I wasn’t talking about that one…I mean it’s ok but Itchy Nanobots. Now that is an awesome name.”  
“Really Rocket?! How in the hell is Itchy Nanobots a better band name then Hostile Planet?!” With Rocket and Peter distracted by the argument over band names Gamora turned her attention back to Nebula.  
“So, would you like to change the color on these?”  
“What do they have?”  
“Well anything you want.” Nebula thought for a moment.  
“Red…like blood. Or fire.”  
“Ok,” Gamora fiddled with the controller and the strands shifted to a rich red hue. “And, Nebula? You might want to try to not mention blood either."


End file.
